Outlets in the closets.

Sillites on the front window sills.

A GFCI outlet inside each vanity.

Towel radiator in two bathrooms.

Ability to switch on lamps from the door and from switches at each side of the bed (lamp always on).

Outlets at night stand height on each side of bed for phone charging.

Dimmers on most lights including bathroom.

The automatic lights that turn on when you open the door. These work really well in closets or pantries. Outlets in tall cabinets, in the mudroom and laundry room, to charge battery operated vacuum, rechargeable batteries, etc. Switch at bottom of stairs to turn off all lights upstairs.

Aside from seconding most of what pal mentioned, don't forget to check out all the many previous threads on this subject,

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2265716/things-you-thought-of-after-your-home-was-built#n=27

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2323521/to-help-others-things-i-would-do-different-and-things-i-love#n=21

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2814100/what-were-some-things-you-just-had-to-have-in-your-house#n=21

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2294905/things-you-couldnt-live-without-or-wish-you-had-added#n=37

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2310585/things-you-couldnt-live-without-or-wish-you-had-added#n=60

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/4667813/things-you-wish-you-would-have-included#n=51

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2290453/tell-me-a-clever-or-useful-wiring-thing-you-did#n=21

You might also want to check/search the Kitchen, Laundry, and Bathroom forums for other similar threads. That's where I got my idea to place my kitchen counter outlets lower and horizontal, to make them, and the appliance cords, less obtrusive. And also the suggestion to add at least one outlet to the kitchen island.

A few things from our new house (just moved in last month):

Using passive solar to orient the house

Lots of windows, and lots of large windows; decide on placement depending on views (for example, lower in the living room for views from sofa)

Large windows in the basement too, for extra light and easy egress in case of emergency

Dedicated outlet and switch for Christmas tree lights, where the Christmas tree will be placed

Full bathroom instead of powder room on the main floor, in case we ever need to turn the next-door office into a bedroom (for broken or aging bones)

Full bathroom with shower in the garage (we farm and I garden a lot and it’s nice to keep the dirt from farming, gardening, and mechanics projects out of the house)

A secondhand restaurant supply sink in the garage for washing fruits and vegetables from the garden, and plant pots

A lowered concrete floor and a drain in the mechanical room, in case of a water leak

A broom closet

These outdoor LED lights from Lee Valley, which we recessed on the inside (facing the house) of the posts across the front of the porch and garage, and which operate as dusk to dawn lights with a photocell switch. We do have proper outdoor light fixtures, but these are wonderful extra layer of nighttime lighting.

We recessed the fridge area in the kitchen, and the space in the pantry for the all-fridge and all-freezer

We have family and friends in Europe so we're all fans of towel warmers, esp living here in Canada in the winter : ) . I was happy to find a well-rated model at a good price at Costco.ca.

cold AND hot water outside

Purely by accident, the towel bars beside our MBA sinks are directly over heat supply registers in the floor. (I also love the recirculating pump on the hot water line that provides hot water to every tap in the house in seconds.)

This thread is pretty cool, with ideas that would benefit families of any size; it's one of my favorites, for obvious reasons, lol. :-)

Design Tips for Big Families

Along with things others have mentioned:

- Vac pan in the kitchen (connects to central vacuum system). I like being able to quickly sweep and whisk the dirt away. If I were doing it again, I’d put one in the master bathroom as well.

- Blum servo drive on the trash/recycle cabinet.

- pre-wiring for automatic shades - I only did this in the Mbed and bath, but wish I’d done it everywhere.y

- in floor heating

- pool with automatic cover and heater - cover makes it easy to keep pool clean and is a nice safety feature; heater allows me to swim year round (Texas).

When I designed the master bedroom addition for my wife and I, I designed a walk-in closet for us and an overflow reach-in closet for seasonal close and things we didn't need in the walk-in closet. Can you guess who's clothes are in the walk-in closet and who's clothes are in the reach-in closet? (Hint: I have a limited wardrobe by necessity)

(Hint: I have a limited wardrobe by necessity)

Don't architects just wear a bunch of black, anyway? ;-)

Not this one. For the past twenty years it's been mainly shorts and polo shirts.

In addition to the really neat ideas already provided:

Extra length headers over windows---makes hanging curtains much more secure.

3 way light switches in rooms with two entrances.

A circuit breaker box with at least 10 empty slots.

Water softener. But supply side water to outside faucets.

Closet lights located on each side of the door (vertically mounted) in small closets. Overhead lights create shadows. The instant on(switched to the door) make them great. And means no lights left on as long as the door is closed.

Ridge vent for the roof. Works 24/7 with no power necessary, cold/hot/rain/shine/night/day. Under roof channels to keep insulation out of the soffit vents.

Solid pipe for vents, especially dryer. Cuts way down on clogs.

Floor drain in basement. Even if it has to be run to a sump/pump.

Floor drains in each garage stall. See above.

Some of my favorite architectural nuances:

--A house which is properly oriented on its site to take maximum advantage of natural light, natural ventilation and passive solar strategies for summer cooling and winter warming;

--A house design conceived to maximize natural light, family activities and indoor-outdoor spaces;

--A house which provides spaces for both group/communal family activities and for individual/private relaxation and recuperation;

--A house with varying interior spatial variety, and some pleasant surprises;

--A house with a pleasing and harmonious exterior appearance, in a consistent and appealing architectural style.

There's more, but you get the point. Everything else is gravy.

HandyMac, drains in the garage bays are wonderful, especially if the garage us heated (even if only to a balmy 40 degrees) but they can be subject to code, depending on local water, waste, and drain systems.

As for what to include, outdoor water spigots in front and back, maybe on the side, too. A place to store summer stuff, like large plant containers, that aren't easily carried down the basement stairs.